The invention refers to a modular system for the assembly of filter elements of different structural sizes, in particular, construction lengths, namely with filter devices for hydraulic fluids, with a supporting tube, which defines an interior cavity of the pertinent filter element, a supporting tube with filter mat, which has passages to permit the fluid to pass through, and whose jacket is formed by circular rings, arranged at mutual intervals from one another, which are carried by the vanes of a star-shaped profile body, extending axially in the interior of the supporting tube, and with at least one coupling piece, which makes possible the end connection of one pertinent supporting tube to another supporting tube, which has a holder, intended for an end, for the interaction and locking with the coupling piece, which is shaped as a plug element with a ring, which consists of fingers, that extend in an axial direction at mutual intervals, and which has hooks formed at the end to snap on at the holder of the following supporting tube.
A system of this type is already known from EP 0769 317 A1. The goal of the invention is to create a system of the aforementioned type, which is characterized by particularly good operating characteristics, namely, improved structural strength of the assembly of coupled supporting bodies.
The goal of the invention is to create a modular system of the type under discussion, which is easy to handle and inexpensively produced.
In a modular system of the initially mentioned type, this goal is attained in accordance with the invention in that the ring, consisting of fingers, oriented to the vanes of the profile body, has widened gaps between adjacent fingers, and these gaps make possible the engagement of the ends of the vanes.
Owing to the shape of the ring, consisting of fingers carrying snap hooks, in accordance with the invention, the ends of the vanes of the interior profile bodies, which engage the gaps between the fingers when the connection is set up, come into correct position relative to one another immediately. A full support surface, extending over the entire cross section of the profile body is therefore available, by means of which the axial forces acting on the filter element during operation can be transferred, so that the desired high structural strength of the assembled filter element is produced.
With the modular system in accordance with the invention, supporting tubes with a holder, intended for one end, for the interaction and locking with the coupling piece can be used. Likewise, supporting tubes, which have a holder for the interaction and locking with a coupling piece at each end, can be taken into consideration as components of the modular system. Moreover, supporting tubes with only one coupling piece, affixed to the end and supporting tubes with a coupling piece affixed to each of its two ends are provided.
Also, a coupling piece in the form of a special adapter can be provided, which is intended to interact and lock with a holder on each of the supporting tubes to be connected to one another.
The modular system, in accordance with the invention, thus opens up diverse combination possibilities for the assembly of filter elements of the required size.